


What should I do?

by ICRWBY



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, If you came here for actual winter and ironwood this fic is not for you, Manipulation, Mentioned Abuse, Post vol 7, Pregnancy, i promise that there’s no sex in this, if anything needs to be tagged that isn’t tell me, using sex for personal gain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:22:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22889155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ICRWBY/pseuds/ICRWBY
Summary: When Winter found herself there, she was scared. What had happened to lead her to this? How had everything fallen down around her as it did? What would she do?
Relationships: James Ironwood/Winter Schnee
Kudos: 10





	What should I do?

**Author's Note:**

> I’m sorry this is so bad. I finished it yesterday and I already am cringing reading it.

It had been one week.

One week since she was defeated and her sister had left.

She didn’t know what to do. She was stuck. What had started as an escape route had backfired tremendously. She could trust no one. With Penny and her sister gone she felt the loneliness set into her mind. The feeling of having no one there for her. She didn’t know what had come over her. Usually she didn’t want to talk to anyone about her emotions but she was so lost.

Taking all of this into account, she made a decision even she didn’t see herself making. 

“I’d like you to get in contact with my mother and ask to come visit me,” she told a nurse. The nurse looked taken aback but nodded and quickly typed something on her computer.

The next day, before her mother arrived, she had spent the morning starting at the painting on the right of her bed, thinking of what to do.

When her mother did arrive, she nodded towards the chair on the left of her bed and crossed her arms over her stomach. 

“You wanted to see me, dear?” Willow said. She was staring at their reflections in the silver cabinet, just past Willow, on the left. “Is everything all right?”

“No.” Winter said dryly, “Nothing is.”

“If it’s everything that’s happened recently, don’t fret. I’m sure the General will get it under control as soon as possible.” Willow said. Winter finally made eye contact with her.

“No he won’t.” Winter said, “It’s just going to get worse. And that’s not even what’s worrying me.”

“What is it? What do you mean he won’t get it under control?” Willow said, slowly.

Winter lost her focus, floating back into a sea of depersonalization. She ran her fingers over the fabric of her blanket and stared at the pile of pillows, on the silver cabinet, just past Willow, on the left. They had the odd paper like cases on them.

“Winter?” She sounded concerned. 

Winter’s empty gaze snapped back. “What if I told you something that you wouldn’t believe?”

“What is it, dear?” 

“Did you,” Winter paused, “want me?” Winter’s eyes fell to her hands which were still fidgeting with the blanket.

“Yes, I was always very sure I wanted three kids. If I could go back now I would definitely do it through a different person, but you were very wanted.” Willow said, definitely.

“Did you know that everything was going to happen as it did?” Winter’s right hand twisted the white hospital bracelet on her left wrist. 

“No, not at all. Winter, what’s wrong?”

“I’m pregnant.” She said looking to the monitor. It was monitoring her heartbeat and her baby’s heartbeat. “That’s not even the most shocking part.”

“Do you want the baby?” Willow’s words were cautious and she was obviously trying not to let her worry seep into her voice. It was clear in her eyes and body language. She was scared to find out what the worst part was.

“I thought I did but now that is one of the many things that I don’t know.” Winter stopped, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then spoke. “Do I want to keep the baby? Is it safe to keep the baby? If I have the baby will he hurt us? Will he use them as a means of manipulation? Will I use it as a means of manipulation? Can I save Atlas? Can I save me? Can I save my child? Will my child be happy? Will I be happy? In the afterlife, when I think back and reflect on all the events of my life, will I be proud of me?” 

Her voice fell out. She looked straight ahead and softly said, “Do you want to know the most shocking part?” When Willow didn’t answer, out of shock no doubt, she continued, “The baby is the General’s”

“What?” Willow asked, sounding dumbfounded.

“He first promised me safety and to keep Weiss safe if I just listened and did as he said. That was too good an offer to pass on. I then begged for a family that wasn’t connected to Father in exchange for not telling the world what we had done. What we had manipulated each other into doing.” Winter voice oozed anger and fear and hatred.

“What are you going to do?” Willow said. This was too much to think about at once.

“I don’t know. I could come clean with it all and have him fired but then I tarnish my own reputation.” Winter said, she closed her eyes again. She was tired. She should have scheduled this earlier in the morning. She had started to get so tired at midday. She didn’t know if it was pregnancy or whatever was going on in her mind. “There’s nowhere to run, either. Maybe I just have to risk my reputation. I’ll do it if that’s what it takes,” to not end up like you. Those words were implied.

“Get him fired without telling anyone anything.” Willow said. 

“How?” Winter said, her eyes remained closed.

“There has to be some way, dear” Willow’s voice sounded sad. “He’s not all here anymore, right?”

“You’re right.” Winter whispered.

“There might be something you could do with that.” Willow said this more so as a question than a statement. 

“Maybe so.” Winter said, laying down in the hospital bed. They stayed silent for a while. Winter lying on her side, breathing slowly, and Willow thinking of what she had become and the possibility of Winter becoming something similar. Eventually, when Willow has thought Winter had fallen asleep, Winter asked, “Can you sing to me? You can leave after I fall asleep.”

“Of course.” Willow said, she ran through her mental list of memorized songs and fell on an old Atlesian lullaby that her mother had sung to her and that she had sung to her children. Winter hadn’t heard it in almost ten years. 

When she got to the end, Winter’s breathing had steadied and she had fallen asleep. She looked vulnerable and scared.


End file.
